USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1704 to 1876, including Grafton until 1735, Millbury until 1813 and parts of Northbridge, Upton and Auburn > Part 26
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HATHAWAY DISTRICT, NO. 5.
The first house in this district on the Oxford road, now owned and occupied by Sullivan Fuller, was built in 1832 by Parley Kenney. Mr. Sullivan Fuller married first, Miss Prudence Kenney ; married second, Miss - Graves ; mar- ried third, Miss Eunice Knights.
Mr. Fuller has greatly enlarged and improved the place since he has been the owner.
The house now occupied by Miss Mary Record was built by Benjamin Boyce about the year 1775. Miss Record made an addition to it a few years ago. She is a daughter of Jonathan Record, and the only one of the name in town.
Abijah Putnam built the house where his widow, Mrs. Betsey (Burdon) Putnam, aged ninety-three, now resides with her son, Sylvester Putnam. Mrs. Putnam retains her faculties in a remarkable degree, and, as Mr. Crossman remarks, furnished him "from the store-house of her memory much of the information gathered in this vicinity."
The house where Simeon A. Fuller now lives was built by Daniel Towne about 1750. A few years later the Fuller family were in possession of the place. They came from Attleboro and established the comb-making business, and for
* From L. U. Reavis' Centennial work on St. Louis and Missouri.
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· HOMES OF THE
many years carried it on in a shop on this place. Simeon Fuller, father of the present owner, with his brother Reuben were the first of the name who owned the place.
The house where James D. Hill lives was built by Jona- than Burdon, nearly a hundred years since. Mr. Burdon was born in an old house which stood a little east of the one now occupied by Miss Mary Record. For the singular accident connected with the death of Mr. Burdon, see Annals, 1816.
The next occupant was James Hill, born in Douglas ; married Sally H. Burdon, daughter of Jonathan Burdon. His children were Harriet Craggin, born Dec. 20, 1815; Emma Craggin, August 29, 1817 ; James Dudley, July 19, 1820; Sarah, July 31, 1827.
James Dudley succeeded his father upon the place, and still occupies it. He married Mary E. Simmons Sept. 17, 1845. They have one daughter, Elizabeth A., born Aug. 7, 1847, who married Dr. Alonzo L. Stickney, Nov. 6, 1867. Dr. Stickney practiced medicine for several years in Sutton, which place he left for Ashburnham, where he is now engaged in his profession. He ranks high as a physician and_is emi- nent as a surgeon.
The house where Rufus King resides was built by his father, William King, in 1834, upon the site of the old house which was torn down. It is not known by whom the old house was built. Perhaps by Mr. Richard Dodge, who occu- pied the place about a hundred years since. It was subse- quently in possession of Mr. Jonathan Record, who lived here for a time and sold to William King.
The place now owned and occupied by Thomas J. Nealy was for many years in possession of the King family. Next owned by Major Rufus Burdon, who built in 1861 the house now standing. Major Burdon died here. Mr. Nealy has greatly improved the place.
The place now owned and occupied by Putnam King was bought by William King, one of the original proprietors of the town, of Elisha Johnson, after which he built the old house now standing on the place in 1722; he was succeeded
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
by his son, Capt. Henry King ; he by his son, William King, Esq. ; he by his son Isaac; he by his son Putnam, the present owner.
This beautiful farm has not been allowed to " run out," but has been constantly improving. Mr. Putnam King has added many acres to his father's farm, and bought other farms, so that now he is the largest land-holder in town ; he built the house in which he lives in 1833; also the large and
1722.
THE OLD HOUSE BUILT BY WILLIAM KING.
commodious out-buildings. He has transformed bush pas- tures into mowing fields, built many rods of stone wall, and his pastures are well fenced. He has also sunk many rocks to prepare his mowing fields for the mowing machine, the tedder and the horse rake.
It is an interesting sight in hay-time to see his two mowing machines, drawn by able horses, pass over his beautiful fields, followed by the tedder, then by his horse-rakes, and in the afternoon perhaps three or four ox-wagons being loaded at the same time in the same field. As they arrive at the barn, an apparatus awaits them to unload by horse power, lifting half a load at once and stowing it in the spaclous mow.
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Mr. King carries on farming on a larger scale than any man in town, and seems quite successful. He keeps a large stock of choice neat cattle; also horses, sheep and swine.
They raise many vegetables on this farm, which are principally sold at Whitinsville. After selling their own product they buy tons of cabbage and potatoes to keep up their supply to their customers.
Mr. King has dealt largely in wood and lumber; he furnishes many ties to the railroads; so his man will go down with four yokes of young oxen with a horse on the lead, hauling a large load of railroad ties, to return with as many potatoes as the team can draw, brought on cars from Vermont or Canada, all of which sell at a good profit.
This King family has been a very enterprising and suc- cessful one. Mr. Putnam King is one of the largest tax- payers in town, and the five Kings, who in succession have owned the estate, have paid into the treasury of this town an " amount which, put at six per cent. compound interest when paid in, would now amount to more than twice the present valuation of the town.
Our list of preferments shows the standing of the early settlers on this place, and our genealogy their connection.
William King, Esq., born here, lived on this place ninety- one years.
Peter was a good Latin scholar, but became insane and died at an advanced age single.
One of the daughters married Deacon Jonathan Leland and was the mother of his fine family. Silence married Caleb Woodbury and had a large and quite distinguished family. (See genealogy of the Woodbury family.)
Mr. Isaac King, who succeeded his father and lived here ninety-seven years, only when away on business, was a soldier in the revolution, and one of our most substantial men. He married for first wife Sally Putnam, daughter of Archelaus. (See genealogy.)
Charles was in the shuttle business, lived several years in Worcester, went from there to Anoka, Minn., and there died. His widow lives there now and is in high esteem.
Mr. Isaac King was a man of great industry and wonderful constitutional strength ; he retained his faculties remarkably to the end. Horace Leland said that they were getting the hay out of an old swamp one day after he was ninety years of age, so he went down to the meadow, took off his shoes and stockings and spread swaths all of the forenoon,
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
He fell one day from the great beam in the barn to the barn floor, and being so old they thought his injuries would prove fatal; but the next day he was sitting up in his chair. He said he fell from the beam and was jarred a little, · but thought he should be all right in a day or two, and so he was. When Charles was told of it he said, " That was nothing; if his falls could all be put together they would reach a mile." He was a very temperate man. He attended the Baptist church and did much for its support, and also had a pew in the Congregational church.
The place now occupied by Edmund Day is known as the Taylor place. Caleb Taylor, an early settler, was the first owner. He had a daughter Lydia, who married her cousin James, Sept. 15, 1741.
There is a little romance connected with this marriage. James, a young man of twenty-one, living in Reading, came to visit his uncle, wholly ignorant that Cupid was practising his archery in the wilds of Sutton, and being intro- duced to his cousin Lydia, a comely lass of eighteen, was at once smitten, and she was smitten too. The result was their marriage, and he forsook father and mother and did cleave to his wife.
After the death of his father-in-law he succeeded him on the place. His son Samuel by a third marriage (see gene- alogy), succeeded him. Samuel built the present house. He was a large, portly man, genial, somewhat eccentric, and humorous. Many of his quaint, comical speeches are still remembered and repeated. He was succeeded by his son James. The place is now owned by Putnam King, Esq.
The next place on the Purgatory road is owned by Putnam King and is now unoccupied. The house was built by Moody Morse more than one hundred and fifty years ago as the story goes, and probably occupied by him until his death. He seems to have been succeeded by his son Moody, who was the father of Moses L. Morse. The place was also owned by Archelaus Putnam, Capt. Elias Pratt, Thomas Davis and Simeon Batcheller, who died here.
Moses L. Morse, who was born on this place, was a great inventor.
The house where Richmond Burt lives was built by James Elliot, and subsequently owned by Levi Elliot, who died here in 1846. The first house erected on this place was burned.
The house nearest the woods, owned by B. Franklin King, was built by Capt. Samuel Sibley for his son Samuel, who married and lived here a few years.
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One day as Mr. Sibley and his hired man were unloading hay in the barn they heard a screaming in the house, and running to see what was the matter found Mrs. Sibley in the cellar. As she stepped off the bottom stair she saw a rattlesnake, which coiled and began to shake its rattles. She was so fright- ened that she went into convulsions, which continued that day and night, and she declared she never would go into that cellar again, and she never did.
The place was sold to Benjamin Richardson, who put up a blacksmith's shop and carried on blacksmithing in connection with farm work.
Merrick Titus married Patty Richardson, daughter of Benjamin, and lived here until his death in 1864. Their children were John M., Frances and Chloe. Frances mar- ried Frank Lowe and had one child. Mr. Lowe had been to Chicago, setting up and running stitching machines for a boot and shoe firm, and came home and had the small pox, and died. His wife's father took it of him and died. The youngest daughter, attending the funeral of her father, scantily clothed, took cold and died of consumption the next summer. The year following, Mrs. Lowe died also of con- sumption, contracted by exposure and hardship. John M., the brother, was during that time in the service of his country in the Union army.
The barn on this place was burned by an incendiary in 1877.
The old red house, or Pratt house as it is sometimes called, was built in part by Mr. Joshua Hathaway, grandfather of Simeon and great-grandfather of Isaac Hathaway, who died on the farm at the corner of the Sutton and Oxford roads a few years since. Mr. Simeon Hathaway, son of Joshua, occupied the place and had twenty-one children by two wives. (See genealogy.) Mr. Hathaway was a carpenter · by trade.
Captain Pratt bought this farm in 1825 and lived here many years. Sumner Pratt, the only son, married Serena Chase, daughter of Caleb Chase, and carried on the shuttle business for several years at Pleasant Falls. He is now in Worcester, located on Front street, Pratt's block, and under the firm name of "Sumner Pratt and Co." is a dealer in manufacturers' supplies. It is now owned by Rufus King, but is not occupied.
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
Joseph Hicks built the house which he occupies, in 1865. There was a house burned on the same spot Jan. 22, 1863, and at that time was owned and occupied by John Parkman, who bought it in the spring of 1838.
Warren Hathaway built the house that was burned in 1818, and moved in, but died in a day or two after from over work. During the September gale in 1815 much wood and timber was blown down on a lot near by, and Mr. Hath- away hauled seventeen loads of it to his door in one day and died the same night.
The place had several owners after his death; among them were Amos Eddy, Charles King, Benjamin Hill, then John Parkman.
Mr. Eddy built a blacksmith shop here, and was followed by Charles King, who made blacksmithing a business.
The house on the corner of the Sutton and Oxford roads seems to have been first in possession of a Mr. Fletcher, then of Samuel Prentice, who sold to Simeon Hathaway, and here Isaac Hathaway was born, lived and died. Samuel Prentice married Mrs. Whitin, mother of Paul Whitin, Esq., and grandmother of Hon. Paul Whitin, John C., etc. They had several children, who resided in Northbridge.
This farm is now owned by Rufus King, and occupied by Nathan Tucker.
The place now owned by Charles C. Ambler was, so far . as can be ascertained, first occupied by Lucius Boyce, whose name appears upon record as early as 1795. It has fre- quently changed owners; was for a time in possession of Wm. Winter, who sold to a Mrs. Wheelock, and she to the present occupant.
At the place where M. E. Crossman lives stood an old house built before the French and Indian war, it is supposed by Samuel Sibley or his father, in which Captain Samuel Sibley kept a tavern for many years.
Mr. Sibley owned some three hundred acres of land, and' as his sons became of age divided his farm with them. For Job he built the house where Wm. V. Inman lives ; for Samuel the house near Purgatory woods, and Nathan lived on the home place.
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Capt. Sibley built a saw mill on a stream called Purgatory Brook, about a third of a mile east of his house, on land now owned by W. V. Inman. The old mill has been torn down at least seventy-five years. At this mill-yard, Ebene- zer, son of Benja. Boyce, was killed by a log rolling upon him. He was the first one buried in the Sibley cemetery. He had just married, and lived at the old house which stood a little east of Mary Record's, long since torn down.
RESIDENCE OF MILTON E. CROSSMAN.
Mr. Sibley was a pioneer, and has left as a monument of his industry nine miles of stone wall which he built and caused to be built.
There is a bridge at the reservoir just above the mill site, covered with a single stone, twelve feet long, six feet wide, and from twelve to eighteen inches thick, which, it is said, was drawn to its present location one moonlight night, on sleds, over the hills from near Purgatory, by twelve yokes of oxen.
Samuel Nelson purchased this farm in 1818 of Capt. Sibley's heirs, and lived here until his death in 1823.
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
Newell Nelson settled Col. Nelson's estate, and in 1824 Samuel Morse of Wrentham bought it and moved upon it in April of the same year. Mr. Morse married Miss Hannah Herring of Dedham, and had three daughters when he came to town, Eveline E., Roxa and Julia Ann. Eveline E., born May 5, 1811, married Nathaniel G. King; see King gene- alogy. Roxa, born March 11, 1815, married Thomas B. Woodbury ; sec Woodbury genealogy. Julia Ann, born February 6, 1818, married M. E. Crossman ; see Crossman genealogy.
Samuel Morse built the house now on this farm in 1845, and lived in it till his death by accident, July 7, 1850, by being thrown from a wagon at the yard of Prescott's Mill, July 5th. Samuel was the son of Joshua, who was the son of Daniel, who came from Sherburne to Walpole.
Joshua, born in 1735, married Esther Baker, and died April 12, 1801, leaving three sons : Ebenezer, born 1770, died January 9, 1818 ; Ezekiel, born 1772, died Sept. 26, 1818 ; Samuel, born Nov. 3, 1776, died July 7, 1850.
M. E. Crossman built the barn on this place in 1853, took down the old house and barn, moved the carriage-house, built an ell to the house, etc.
The place now owned by William V. Inman was first occupied by Mr. Job Sibley. He sold to Philo Fisher, and he to Lyman, son of Jonathan Burdon. Mr. Burdon kept a public house here from 1819 to 1830; he died in 1831.
Mr. Joseph Cummings was the next owner. He sold to Samuel A. Hough, who died here. After his death the place was bought by Benjamin Hill. Mr. Hill married Miss Dorothy Dudley of Douglas. They had six children : Ben- jamin C., Emeline, Frances Jane, Eliza Ann, Edwin C. and Dinah, who died in infancy. Benjamin C. married Miss Emma Flowers ; Eliza Ann married Joseph Wilcox ; Frances Jane married William Hall ; Edwin C. married Julia Marble ; Emeline married Simeon T. Stockwell.
Mr. Stockwell bought the place after Mr. Hill's death in 1851, and lived here until 1867, when he sold to Mr. W. V. Inman. Mr. Inman married Miss Elmira Mascroft. They have three children : Wm. M., Josephine A. and Arthur V.
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HOMES OF THE
The place occupied by Edwin E. Kingsbury and his sister was probably first owned by Noah Rice, who by will proved February 26, 1759, gave to wife Hannah ; to son Thomas ; to daughter Lydia Bacon, and the residue to his youngest son Asahel.
ENTRANCE TO PURGATORY.
Asahel was the next occupant of the place. Jonas Sibley married Lydia, his eldest daughter, and it was when return- ing from this house, where he had been courting, that he was impressed into the service of the sheriff as one of his posse
TOWN OF SUTTON.
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for the suppression of a mob. (See Annals, p. 121.) Mr. Luther Kingsbury was the next owner. He married Miss Clara Holbrook of Bellingham. They had four children : Maria Holbrook, Eliza Clara, Luther Franklin and Edwin
WITHIN PURGATORY.
Erastus. Maria H. married Mr. Moses Stone of Oxford ; Clara married George B. Nolan, Luther F. married Susan Baylies of Uxbridge.
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HOMES OF THE
A tavern was kept on this place for many years. It was opened by Asahel Rice, continued by Mr. L. Kingsbury, and known as the Rice Tavern from 1790 to 1810.
Purgatory* is in the extreme southeastern part of this district. Dr. Hitchcock in the " Geology of Massachusetts " says :
This is an immense chasm, and I confess myself at a loss to explain its origin. It is natural to suppose that its sides have been in some manner separated from one another. But I can conceive of no mode in which this could have been accomplished but by a force acting beneath, and this would so elevate the strata, that they would dip on both sides from the fissure. The inclination along the fissure corresponds with that which is common in the region round, viz., twenty-five degrees northeast. In the vicinity of the fissure however, the rocks are often exceedingly broken into fragments; and this circumstance indicates some early subterranean convulsion, or the agency of troubled waters; and I am rather inclined to refer these fragments, as well as the fissure, to the long-continued action of the waves of the sea, when the spot was so situated as to form a shore of moderate elevation."
Purgatory attracts numerous visitors, and is a great place of resort for picnic parties from the neighboring towns. " The Devil's Pulpit " has been occupied by many a preacher, clerical and lay, and we are not aware that woman's right to speak from it has ever been questioned. "His Majesty's Cave " is also open to all who choose to enter, and multitudes have gone in and come out recalling the words of Virgil :
" Facilis descensus averno * * *
Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad anras, Hoc opus, hiç labor est."
A sad accident-and the only serious one which has ever taken place here- happened July 7, 1876. Professor George Prentice of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Ct., and his wife visited the place, and had been sitting on a bank near the rock which overhangs the chasm at the deepest point. Rising to go away, Mrs. Prentice said to her husband : "I must take one more look ;" and advancing to the edge of the rock, on which the figure of a man is seen in the picture, "Within Purgatory," she became dizzy and fell upon the rocks below, a distance of nearly sixty feet. Strange to say she was not instantly killed, but lived several weeks.
* See description in Annals, pp. 14-15.
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
DISTRICT NO. 6 - MANCHAUG. JOHN DARLING'S FARM.
The first knowledge we have of this place is that it was owned by Jonathan Wheeler. The house occupied by Mr. Wheeler stood opposite the house where Ezra Morse now
EGRESS FROM PURGATORY.
lives ; it is not known by whom it was built. It has since been owned by Zelek Darling, and John Darling, who is the present owner. The house was built by Zelek Darling in 1807, and there is another house built by John Darling and
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HOMES OF THE
occupied by his son John D. Darling. There are two burial places on this farm. One of them, known as the Harwood burial-ground, is an ancient one containing some thirty graves, but no stones with inscriptions on them. In the other yard, on the stones are inscribed the names of Darling, Morse, Hubbard, Haradan, White, etc. This yard is enclosed with a good iron fence. Upon this place there was formerly another house owned by David Harwood, who was brother of Joseph. The cellar and well may still be seen.
EZRA MORSE'S FARM.
This farm and the John Darling place were formerly one, and owned by Jonathan Wheeler. This part of the farm fell to Mr. Wheeler's daughter, who married Simeon Morse, and has since been owned by David Morse, and now by his son Ezra. The house was built by Simeon Morse in 1806. There was formerly a shoemaker's shop on the place, where Mr. David Morse and sons made shoes. It is now used as a barber's shop in Manchaug Village.
DANIEL HUBBARD'S FARM.
This place was formerly owned by Joseph Harwood, then by Zelek Darling, Molly, wife of Timothy Hewett, and Daniel Hubbard, who is the present owner. Mr. Hubbard is a jeweller by trade, and has on this place a shop where he repaired watches and clocks. An old house once stood here, but it is not known by whom it was built; neither is it known by whom the present one was erected. It has been thoroughly repaired by Mr. Hubbard. There was at one time another house on the place, owned by Jerusha Harwood.
JOSEPH COGGSHALL'S PLACE.
The house upon this place once stood in front of Amos Burdon's house in South Sutton. It was built in 1822, and moved to its present location in 1827, when it was for a time occupied by Salmon Burdon, father of Amos, and held by him until 1833, when it came into the possession of Joseph Coggshall, the present owner, and has since been used as a house of accommodation for travelers. A building formerly
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
stood directly opposite this place, which was occupied for twelve years as a store, when it was moved back to its present position and converted into a tenement house.
RICHMOND WHITE PLACE.
The first knowledge we have of this place, it was owned by Zelek Darling. It has since been in possession of Deacon Zelek Darling, John Morse, Richmond White and Laura Wilbur, who is the present owner.
The house was built by Deacon Darling in 1826. On this place there once stood a school-house, known as the White Birch school-house, taking its name from the birches by which it was surrounded. It was moved near the other buildings, fitted up for a carpenter's shop, and used as such by Mr. White.
JAMES CHAPPEL FARM.
This place seems to have been first owned by Wm. Axtell, and since by Simeon Morse, Zelek Darling, Stephen Kimpton, Samuel Holbrook, James Chappel, John Abbott, Manchaug Company, etc. It is not known by whom the house was built.
JOHN HUNT PLACE.
The first we know of this place, it was in possession of Jonah Titus, and has since been owned by John Hunt, Amasa Wakefield, Mrs. Emeline Lackey and John Darling, who is the present owner. The house was built by Amasa Wakefield. The builder of the former house is not known.
DEA. JOHN TITUS FARM.
This place was formerly owned by Dea. John Titus, after- ward by John Titus, jr., Henry Titus, Obed Morse and Ira Darling, who is the present owner. The house which stood upon this place has been recently removed by the Manchaug Company to their village, where it now stands.
DENNIS KENNEY'S FARM.
This place was first owned by Henry Titus, and has since been occupied by Chester Williams, Mrs. Wm. Walker and Dennis Kenney, who is the present owner. The house was built by Henry Titus.
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HOMES OF THE
LAWRENCE HOLT'S FARM.
This place was first owned by Lewis Torrey, then by Charles Abbott, Prince Parker and Lawrence Holt, the present owner. The house was built by Mr. Torrey. On this place stands a school-house, owned by the inhabitants of what was formerly district number thirteen. *
Mr. Torrey was a blacksmith by trade, and had a small shop where he carried on the usual business of that trade, except shoeing horses. On this place is a burial ground, on the headstones of which are the names of Titus, Torrey, Stockwell, Hunt, etc.
LEANDER PUTNAM'S PLACE.
The first that we can learn of this place, it was owned by William Darling - who was a lieutenant in the revolution- ary army - and his son Aaron, since by William Darling, jr., Zelek Darling, Wheeler Darling, Cyrus Putnam, Philan- der Putnam and Leander Putnam, the present owner. The house is a very old one and it is not known by whom it was built. Formerly there was a grist mill and fulling mill where Mr. Wm. Darling carried on business. Afterward this water privilege was sold by Wm. Darling to Cornelius and Joseph Putnam, who erected a shop for the manufacture of scythes, which business they carried on for several years, when it passed into the hands of Col. Reuben Waters.
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